Herbal medicine as a promising therapeutic approach for the management of vascular dementia: A systematic literature review

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#activities-of-daily-living #dementia-vascular #ginkgo-biloba #humans #neuropsychological-tests

Herbal medicine as a promising therapeutic approach for the management of vascular dementia: A systematic literature review

Ghorani-Azam et al., 2018 | Phytother Res | Systematic Review

Citation

Ghorani-Azam Adel, Sepahi Samaneh, ... Mohajeri Seyed Ahmad. Herbal medicine as a promising therapeutic approach for the management of vascular dementia: A systematic literature review. Phytother Res. 2018-Sep;32(9):1720-1728. doi:10.1002/ptr.6120

Abstract

Vascular dementia (VaD) generally refers to memory deficits and cognitive abnormalities that are resulted from vascular disease. In this study, we aimed to systematically review the literature wherein therapeutic effects of medicinal plants have been studied on VaD. A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and other databases using VaD, and medicinal plants as key terms. No strict inclusion criteria were defined, and almost all clinical studies were included. A total of 524 articles were found, of which only 28 relevant articles with 3461 studied patients were included to this systematic review. The results showed that medicinal plants, particularly Sancaijiangtang and Ginkgo biloba could improve behavioral and psychological symptoms, working memory, Mini-Mental State Examination, and activities of daily living as well as neuropsychiatric features. It was also shown that the age, average progression of the disease, and the type of folk medicines effective in treating the disease are important factors in the management of VaD. The results of this review indicated that herbal therapy can be a potential candidate in the treatment of VaD; however, further studies are needed to confirm such efficiency.

Key Findings

The results of this review indicated that herbal therapy can be a potential candidate in the treatment of VaD; however, further studies are needed to confirm such efficiency.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition cognitive

MeSH Terms

  • Activities of Daily Living
  • Dementia, Vascular
  • Ginkgo biloba
  • Humans
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Phytotherapy
  • Plant Extracts
  • Plant Preparations
  • Plants, Medicinal
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Ginkgo Extract

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: ginkgo

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09